The dark side never looked brighter
by Lily The Novel Nerd
Summary: Pandora has secrets, secrets even she isnt aware of... where does Snape and Voldemort fit into this? -In Progress-  rated M for later scenes


A/N Well i finally got round to starting my very first fic, woopie! Ok, so here's the deal. This fic is going to go to dark places. I'm not really into the fluffywuffy hero's FTW kinda thing. So to try something different im going to write from the darker point of view, in favour of the meanie characters. My fave.

The main charcter in my story is... well you'll see if you decide to read this anywho. If you are going to read on i hope you will enjoy. Im not following the conventional storyline of the books either, times and dates may not fit perfectly but as i said before, i wanna try something different.

On with the show!

(oh & blah blah blah, i only own Pandora truely... everything else is pretty much JK's)

Chapter 1:

Pandora Browne wriggled under the sheets, her feet twisting around in the white cotton covers. Letting out an audiable sigh she punched the mattress and sat up, her head banging roughly onto the oak headboard. The damn cooling charm had worn off the girls dorm again and it was sweltering hot. It always happened, every week in summer without fail, complaining would do no good as Professor Snape wasn't really interested and casualy brushed the subject aside everytime the girls brought it up. Infact, they had complained so much it was likely he was now not refreshing the charm on purpose.

Feeling awake anyway she swung her legs over the side of the bed and checked her Slytherin branded alarm clock. It was 5:00am. Oh well, she would normaly have to be up in a couple of hours anyway, wouldnt hurt to get a head start in the communal showers.

After shuffling her feet into the pigmypuff soft green slippers, Pandora grabbed her towel and put on her emerald green bathing robe.

"Oi Pan, where _are_ you going?" sneered a voice accross the dark room.

Pan despised Jezebel Finch, she was a loudmouth know it all, who infact, knew nothing at all. Always sticking her nose into every other Slytherins business, she was despised by most of the girls. However, due to her unwavering charisma and beauty she had more friends in her clique then the notoriously attention seeking Potter.

Mumbling under her breath she slunk away to the showering chamber. Ridding the damp pajamas from her body, Pan slipped into the spacious shower cubicle and proceeded to lather up her favourite smelling shower gel. The smell of pineapples and oranges in the morning really set her mood for the day and the frangrance always lingered on her skin up until at least dinner time.

While washing her long, raven black hair, she hummed softly to herself. It was a melody she remembered from when she was very small, the only thing that baffled her about this was the fact that it was the _only_ thing she remembered from her childhood. At the early age of six she was found trembling in the rain at the gates of Hogwarts, her clothes were ripped and ragged and no one could figure our where she had come from. Filch was the one who had found her, huddled in the darkness soaked through to the bone. The old squib took pity on the shivering child and escorted her into the castle to be dealt with by the headmaster, Professor Dumbledor. The old man was only able to entice one word from her trembling lips, Pandora. After she was indeed dubbed a true witch the decision was made by the ministry to let her live within the castle throughout her childhood until she reached the age of eleven, she then joined the school as a scolorship student.

To this day her mind could only draw blank images of the first six years of her life. On occasion she would sneak into the prefects bathrooms and draw herself a lavender and rose petal bath. Feeling her mind and body completely relax, she let her memories slip back as far as she could recall, this was where the sweet soft melody first showed itself inside her mind. It was familiar and intoxicating. It caressed her thoughts like a warm breeze on a long hot summer day.

After washing the remaining suds from her body, Pan wrapped her chilly form within the large fluffy green towel and stepped back into her slippers. She stood infront of the large elaborate mirror which was anchored above the humongous porceline sinks. With the de-fogging charm doing its job perfectly, Pan stared back at her unwavering reflection. She felt extremely plain. Her hair hung strait and smooth down her back, her fringe usually clipped back to one side with a small grip. Her eyes bore back at her, a gentle almond shape with a vicious sapphire blue center. She knew she wasnt ugly but she wasn't beautiful either, not like Jezi Finch. She had the looks most girls only dreamed of. Long blonde barbie doll locks which fell across her alabaster skin. Her eyes were a deep sensual chocolate brown set below her perfectly manicured eyebrows. Her peachy soft pink lips expertly talked anyone into doing what she wanted, pretty much anyone apart from Pan. This was the final element to fuel her hate toward her.

Jeze Finch did not like to be ignored.

Squeezing the remaining damp from her hair she plodded back to the dorm to get ready for class.

* * *

><p>The day went slowly, Transfiguration and Charms went by in a haze of time and boredom. Professor Flitwick drawled on for two whole periods about the importance of the perfect wrist flick and how it effects the magical properties of the spell. Pan already knew all of this from her extra studies in the library, infact she pretty much knew the whole curriculum for the year. With not much else to do within the castle she spent the most of her time studying, that and watching the other students go about their daily lives.<p>

A cold breeze broke her trance and she looked up to see the Professor teaching the rest of the class the drafty Impazai Charm. She rubbed the skin on the back of her hand and shivered. For reasons Pan could not fathom, her skin had started becoming more and more numb as of late. It felt creepy, as if she were wearing someone elses skin.

"Earth to Panda Bear! Earth. To. Pandaaaa!"

Annabell Fairchild was franticaly waving her hands around infront of her, grinning like a stupid idiot. As she always did.

Pan rolled her eyes and gave her only friend a wry smile. "Whats up Annie, you struggling with the charm?"

"Ah uh no. But Pan you were away with the Cornish Pixies again... and i guess i wouldnt mind a little, f' some reason i can only make warm air!" Annie gave her wand a flick to demonstrate, a burst of flames shot from the end setting a fellow slitherins homework alight.

Professor Flitwick looked up from helping Jezebell, a scowl plastered across her face."Watch what your doing over there ladies or i'll start deducting some house points."

Pan laughed and gave her friend a sympathetic look. Annie was well and truely her only real friend at Hogwarts, she couldnt even understand why the girl put up with her antisocial bahaviours. She figured that a portion of the friendship was built on the fact that Annie was horrendous at her studies and relied heavily on her for help and support with schoolwork. Even though Pandora was the alltime recluse, she was the highest grading student in their year, perhaps the school. She actualy didn't mind offering up her help, but alot of the students kept their fair distance away. After all, she had the reputation as the school weirdo.

"Its ok, look.." Pan took her friends hand and moved it into a fluid upwards sweep, followed by a small flick. "Now try it again following those movements, pronounce the 'aaaz' as you reach the top of the movement."

Following her instructions to a tea, Annie performed the perfect spell. A perfect cool breeze swept through the classroom causing the Professor to look up with a look of glee on his face.

"Splendid spendid ladies, that is what i call a perfect spell movement follow through. Miss Browne if you would like to demonstrate for the class please." He excitedly grinned and nodded at her.

Sighing to herself, Pandora stood and performed the spell for the benefit of the class.

No one moved or made a sound, Professor Flitwick cleared his thoat and shuffled toward her seat. "My dear, i regret to have to repeat myself but we discussed this before. When you are in your lessons you must use verbal magic. I appreciate you are a very talented student but it's the schools policy... until 6th year of course."

She stared down at her teacher awkwardly, "I'm sorry sir, i didn't mean to. I'll be more careful in future."

Professor Flitwich nodded in her direction and moved back to the front of the class.

"Now everyone, i want three scrolls on the importance of movement and the emotional balance of intermediate charms. Class dismissed."

* * *

><p>For the rest of the day Pandora and Annabell had free periods, they occupied their usual haunt behind the giant oak. The girls swapped stories of their day and started up the age old topic of her past again. Annabell had her own theories of where Pandora had come from and was not shy in sharing these thoughts.<p>

"I still think my idea of you being the product of a love story is the best." She giggled and rolled a blade of grass between her index finger and thumb. "A witch and wizard hopelessly in love. Something happens to the witch and he is left all alone with a child, a baby girl with the angelic face of her beautiful mother. Broken hearted, he cannot stand to look into her little eyes." She waved her arms in the air to stress the melancholy of the story.

Pan laughed and rolled onto her back, her eyes gazing helplessly into the sky. "You do have some wild stories Annie. But i think i was just unwanted. The headmaster did say i was showing magic from a young age. Its possible my parents were squibs and didnt know what to do with me. It's happened before."

Annie lay down next to her friend and closed her eyes, letting the warmth of the air sweep across her skin. She reached out and grabbed her friends hand.

"Don't feel unwanted Panda Bear, your like a sister to me. I keep telling you that you should come and stay with me for christmas and summer holidays. It just makes me feel sick imagining you here all alone."

"Girls.." drawled an all too familiar voice.

They both sat up and met the all too familiar eyes of their head of house.

"Professor.." they both mumbled.

Snape let our an exasperated sigh. "Miss Fairchild, i take it your dense brain has forgotten a certain detention appointment we made last friday?"

Annabell let out a faint shreik, "ohmygosh Professor, im so sorry, i totally forgot." Her eyes pleaded with her potions master.

"Classroom now!" Bellowed Snape.

Shooting an apologetic glance at Pandora, Annie slung her book bag over her shoulder and fled in the direction of the castle. Snape remained standing under the oak tree.

"Miss Browne, it is obvious to myself and every other Professor in this school that you do indeed have great talent... however, may i suggest not distracting your classmates from their own studies while you spend your days pointlessly daydreaming." While she processed the monotone insult, Snape swept away in the direction her friend had taken just moments before.


End file.
